Can Art Become a Spontaneous Purchase? How Travellers Engage with Art in Airports
When we think of impulsive purchases, we often picture candy bars at the checkout, luxury fragrances in duty-free shops, or that extra gadget we didn’t know we needed until we saw it on display. But what about art? Can art, traditionally seen as a considered purchase, be transformed into an appealing impulse buy in a high-traffic space like an airport?
The Nature of Impulse Buys
Impulse buys thrive on visibility, accessibility, and emotional resonance. These purchases happen when products are placed in highly visible locations, evoke an emotional reaction, and feel like an opportunity too good to miss. Airports, with their captive audiences and dwell time, have long been fertile ground for impulse buying. From luxury watches to limited-edition chocolates, travellers often succumb to buying something they never planned to — could art fit into this model?
Art as an Unexpected Purchase
Traditionally, buying art has been seen as a deliberate and often intimidating process. It’s associated with galleries, auctions, and careful contemplation, often resonating with crazy-high prices and exclusivity. However, this narrative is evolving. With the rise of digital platforms, pop-up art fairs, and art subscriptions, art is becoming more accessible and less formal. Airports could take this a step further by integrating affordable, approachable art sales into the travel experience.
Airports as Emerging Art Retail Spaces
Airports are rapidly becoming cultural hubs, incorporating site-specific installations, exhibitions, and locally inspired works. Travellers are exposed to art as part of the airport experience — so why not extend that exposure to purchase opportunities, especially for affordable pieces that anyone can connect with?
The Case for Duty-Free Style Art Sales
Captive Audience: Airports offer a blend of leisure and captive time, especially during layovers. This is ideal for browsing and unplanned discovery.
Emotional Resonance: Travellers are often in an emotional state — excited, nostalgic, reflective — making them particularly receptive to emotionally charged purchases like art.
Cultural Connection: Offering art, especially locally inspired pieces, allows travellers to bring home a meaningful piece of the culture they just experienced.
Limited Availability: Like duty-free exclusives, limited-edition prints, artist collaborations, or site-specific works could create a sense of urgency, making the purchase feel both special and fleeting.
Gift Potential: Art can be repositioned as a unique travel souvenir or gift, appealing to those looking for something more meaningful than a keychain or T-shirt.
Why Airports Are Uniquely Positioned for Art Sales
Unlike traditional retail environments, airports have the unique ability to introduce travellers to local cultures and art scenes. As gateways to new places, they can provide the perfect bridge between experience and ownership. A traveller departing Barcelona may be drawn to a modernist print inspired by Gaudí, while someone leaving Kyoto may opt for a contemporary take on traditional Japanese calligraphy.
Additionally, airports foster a mindset of indulgence and self-reward. People justify buying expensive perfumes or designer goods in duty-free stores because they see travel as a special occasion. Affordable, accessible art fits seamlessly into this mindset, offering not just a purchase, but a lasting memory infused with personal meaning.
What Would It Take to Make It Work?
For art to succeed as an impulse purchase in airports, several factors need to align:
Curated Selections: A rotating collection of approachable, price-accessible works, including prints, small sculptures, and digital downloads, would make art feel less intimidating and more inviting.
Integrated Storytelling: Information on the artist, the inspiration behind the work, and its connection to the airport’s region would enhance the perceived value and emotional connection.
Seamless Purchase Process: Travellers are used to duty-free efficiency — tap, pay, and go. Art purchases would need to be just as simple, with options for secure delivery for larger works or digital certificates for digital art.
Emotional Triggers: Displays and pop-ups could be designed to spark emotion and highlight the connection between travel, memory, and art. Locations in high-traffic areas, such as near departure gates, security zones, or premium lounges, would maximize visibility and interaction.
Shifting Perceptions of Art Buying
The traditional image of art buying — hushed galleries, intimidating price tags, and connoisseur-only conversations — is becoming outdated. As platforms like Instagram, Etsy, and online galleries have proven, art buyers today are more spontaneous and diverse than ever before. Airports can play a significant role in normalizing art purchases for new audiences, transforming art into something accessible, personal, and tied to their global journeys.
Airports as Cultural Marketplaces
The future of airport retail could easily include dedicated spaces where travellers browse and buy art alongside luxury perfumes and electronics. These spaces could showcase local talent, highlight cultural heritage, and offer travellers the chance to take home something far more meaningful than a bottle of whiskey or designer sunglasses.
At Art/Port Studios, we believe airports are more than just gateways to new destinations — they’re ideal platforms to showcase and sell art in innovative ways. By blending local artistry with global travel, airports can become living galleries where art is not just admired but purchased, making cultural connection an impulse worth embracing. Our mission is to bridge the gap between travellers and artists, creating a new model for art discovery and ownership in the spaces where global journeys begin — with a focus on accessible, affordable art that anyone can take home.
